Castle Rock has woven a tapestry of unsettling complexity this season, oscillating between lofty horrors and the mundane mediocrity. This follow-up story, while an improvement on the first, has at times felt like a murky mélange, seamlessly transitioning from creepy, atmospheric horror to action-packed thrills akin to The Walking Dead. With numerous plot threads still up in the air and a disheartening lack of screen time for Annie, the finale looms as a captivating yet somewhat underwhelming conclusion.
The penultimate episode opens with Castle Rock transformed into a dismal state. As Pop dashes towards the hospital, we're reintroduced to Ace, welcoming a new recruit to his growing army, a figure with ties to The Kid from the first season. He inquires about "The Angel's" whereabouts, and she guides him to Pop, who possesses valuable information in the form of letters that may hold crucial clues.
Meanwhile, Nadia and Pop find themselves in a desperate race against time, outrunning the murderous residents of Castle Rock and barricaded inside with Abdi. As night falls upon them, Pop rallies the troops, warning them of the impending zombie horde. But as the alarms sound, they descend into the basement to find Annie, Jamal, and Chance hiding behind a stack of tires. Pop interviews them one by one, trying to discern their sanity, until Jamal seizes his chance and attempts to ambush him. However, Nadia saves the day with a shot that incapacitates Jamal, working with Pop to eventually incarcerate him.
In the aftermath, Nadia reveals the serum used to inject Chris and temporarily restore him to his former self. As the group contemplates their next move, Annie and Chance gaze out the window at Ace and his army waiting outside. Communicating through walkie-talkies, Ace reveals his true name: Augustin. After negotiating terms, Nadia suggests trying to outrun the army while Annie speaks directly to the man possessing Jamal and stabs him in the eyes with needles.
Back on the walkie-talkie, Pop informs Augustin that he has burned the letters and reiterates his refusal to surrender what he knows. But Augustin strikes a chord with him, revealing that he has ruined all four of his children's lives. As Pop begins burning the letters, the sins of a father come back to haunt him. He straps himself up with C4 as the army outside manages to breach the house's defenses.
As the survivors scramble down the stairs, Abdi and Pop remain behind, taking their time to wait, guns at the ready. The final part of the episode descends into an action-packed thriller, with gunshots echoing around the basement and the survivors working together to fend off the intruders. The climax sees Pop and Ace face off, Ace poised to pull the trigger until...it all turns out to be a bluff, allowing the survivors to escape and cross the train tracks outside. As they do so, Ace chuckles to himself in disbelief before shooting Pop square in the forehead, while Nadia tries in vain to reach him.
I cannot recall the last time I watched a show that had me swaying between opinions so vigorously each week. Castle Rock's second season, however, is the latest to do just that. This week's episode is arguably the weakest and most disappointing of the season, with some good character work for Pop and Ace but Annie sinking into the background and Joy nowhere to be seen, leaving a slight anticlimactic feeling.
It doesn't help that the early season's atmospheric horror has been replaced with a more formulaic, action-packed approach, along with the tired cliche of zombie hordes. These factors, coupled with the slightly longer run-time of 52 minutes this time around, have contributed to this episode feeling a little disappointing. Nevertheless, all is not lost in the finale, and what Castle Rock has in store for us this week remains to be seen. Let's just hope this one pulls it out of the bag and delivers a finale that will be remembered!
